asked the Minister for Finance whether he is aware that low-lying areas in Kilkenny City and County suffered one of the worst floods for 20 years on Thursday, 13th March, 1947, when the Nore and its tributaries overflowed, causing hardship, inconvenience and loss to numerous people in many areas; and whether, in view of the necessity for immediate action, he will undertake a special investigation, in the Kilkenny, Dunmore, Jenkinstown, Three Castles, Ardaloo and Thomastown districts, to give some measure of temporary relief to the residents in those areas, pending the introduction of a drainage scheme for the Nore catchment area.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Kilkenny Flooding.
asked the Minister for Finance whether he is aware that low-lying areas in Kilkenny City and County suffered one of the worst floods for 20 years on Thursday, 13th March, 1947, when the Nore and its tributaries overflowed, causing hardship, inconvenience and loss to numerous people in many areas; and whether he will undertake an immediate survey of the Nore catchment area, with a view to the early introduction of a drainage scheme for the Nore and its tributaries.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 14 and 15 together.
I am aware that Kilkenny and other towns in the Nore valley were subjected to heavy flooding last week as a result of the recent abnormal weather. The only effective remedy for the periodic flooding occasioned by the River Nore lies in the execution of a comprehensive drainage scheme for the entire catchment area. The formulation of such a scheme under the Arterial Drainage Act, 1945, will be duly considered, but as has already been indicated in An Dáil on several occasions, there is little likelihood that the Nore area can be reached at an early stage of the drainage programme.
Can the Minister give us any indication of the number of years which must elapse before even a survey is taken of the Nore catchment area and can he not say roughly when it is likely that drainage works will begin on the Nore and is he aware that there are several local problems on the Nore which could be tackled before the introduction of a full drainage scheme? Is he aware that there are many places on the Nore where there are obstructions by old mills, trees, weirs, and islands in the river which could be dynamited and so give some measure of relief. Further, is the Minister aware——
The Deputy is asking a series of questions. Does he realise that?
I quite realise that but I want to impress upon the Minister that it is no longer a drainage problem in the ordinary sense. It has now become a very acute public health problem and I want to know if he is prepared to get in touch with the responsible Department to get an immediate survey made with a view to temporary relief.
The suggestion put forward by the Deputy for temporary relief measures of the kind suggested by him is not feasible and such works, if carried out, would leave the last position worse than the first because it would only increase the flooding in the lower regions of the river. In reply to his further question I am not in a position to state exactly when a scheme can be prepared for the Nore area.